Ken Jenne

Issue: Sheriff's Activities Are Investigated.

As a state and federal investigation of Sheriff Ken Jenne and his agency intensifies, the mystery deepens. If Jenne is "anxious to clear" his name, as he has said, why does he remain silent?

If Jenne has "abided by the letter and spirit of the laws," as he has said, why does he not come forward to explain the activities being investigated?

If Jenne has nothing to hide, why does he not call a news conference or sit down for an interview and answer the people's questions?

It's likely his attorney is advising the sheriff to keep silent on the matter. It's no secret that many lawyers believe there is no upside in talking with the media.

But Jenne is no amateur in dealing with reporters. Over a long and honorable career in public service, he rightly earned a reputation for integrity. That's what makes his continued silence so baffling.

Now is not the time to hide behind lawyers. Now is the time to discuss all of this openly and honestly.

Scandal has surrounded Jenne and the Broward Sheriff's Office since early 2004, when a pattern of falsifying crime reports came to light. Since then, the use of flawed Miranda warnings has jeopardized dozens of cases -- needlessly, because BSO had been alerted to the problem by the State Attorney's Office.

Investigators, though, are apparently focused on Jenne's personal finances, his outside work as a security consultant and the allegation that someone at BSO leaked protected information in an attempted-murder case to a security firm that was paying Jenne.

That is a serious allegation. Jenne is a duly elected law enforcement official. It's questionable whether he should even be engaging in outside security work, but if that work intersects with his public duties, he has no right to his claim of confidentiality.

Ken Jenne owes the public an explanation. More than his reputation is at stake.

BOTTOM LINE: The public deserves an explanation. Jenne's silence is baffling, and does little to help his tattered reputation.